Reduce or stop the use of caffeine during your pregnancy, if you are a heavy user, gradually decrease your consumption to eliminate caffeine headaches.
Avoid alcohol and tobacco products during your pregnancy.
Nausea and occasional vomiting are normal during pregnancy. If you experience increased nausea with vomiting, begin a clear liquid diet for approximately 24 hours, and gradually add back solid food as tolerated. Please telephone our office if you are unable to keep any food or liquids down for 18-24 hours.
We are aware questions may arise between your OB appointments; therefore we encourage you to keep a small notebook to write down any questions. Bring this notebook with you to your visits and discuss your questions with the physician or nurse. This is also a good way to keep track of pregnancy “highlights” such as first fetal movement, hearing fetal heart beat, weight gain, etc.[/accordion] [accordion title=”Morning Sickness”]Morning sickness is nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy. Despite the name (Morning Sickness) the nausea and vomiting can happen ANY TIME of the day.
It usually begins about the sixth week of pregnancy and tends to resolve by the 13th week. Morning sickness happens because the pregnancy hormone levels in your body change rapidly during early pregnancy. Stress, not eating for several hours, or certain odors may trigger morning sickness.
If you are suffering from morning sickness try not to worry about the health of your baby. If you are in good health before pregnancy, your growing baby will likely have enough nutrients for the first months of pregnancy despite Morning Sickness.
However you should call your doctor if:
- You cannot keep liquids down for 24 hours
- You have abdominal pain, fever, dizziness, severe weakness, or feel faint.
Here are some Tips of what to do:
- REST—Take more frequent rest periods and naps. Keep a slice of toast, saltine crackers, pretzels, or dry cereal at your bedside. It may help to eat something before you get out of bed.
- DIET— Eat smaller, more frequent meals to avoid having an empty stomach. Avoid highly seasoned, greasy fried foods. If food odors bother you, select foods that are eaten cold or room temperature.
- LIQUIDS— When bouts of vomiting occur, take sips of clear liquids only. As the nausea passes, increase the amount of liquids to ½ cup every hour. Some examples of clear liquids are Jell-O, clear soft drinks (Sprite), apple juice, tea, and broth.